Social & Ethical Compliance Policy

About Our Policy

Factory x is committed to manufacturing products under safe, fair, and humane working conditions.

Our ethical sourcing policy:

Includes criteria on labour rights, anti-corruption, fair and safe working conditions, and environmental compliance

covers all our final stage manufacturers.

incorporates conventions of the international labour organisation (ILO) and principles of the united nations universal declaration of human rights. In addition to setting as a minimum, compliance with local laws and regulations, this policy provides requirements and standards that all factories manufacturing factory x garments must demonstrate continuous improvement towards. They include:

Freedom of employment

Suppliers must not use forced, bonded or prison labour. Workers will not be required to lodge deposits or identity papers with an employer and must be free to leave work at the end of the shift and terminate their employment with reasonable notice. If a worker is found to be employed under such conditions Factory X expects the manufacturer to contribute to policies and programmes that provide for the transition of any individual found in this situation into fairly paid and legal employment.

Freedom of association

Suppliers will recognise the right of employees to join unions or representative committees, and the right of worker’s associations to collective bargaining.

Where the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is restricted under law, the employer allows the development of a means for independent and free association and bargaining.

Safe working conditions

A safe and hygienic working environment shall be provided. Adequate steps shall be taken to prevent accidents and injury to health arising out of, or occurring in the course of, work by minimising as far as practical hazards in the workplace.

Health and safety training shall be provided and practiced on site.

Child labour

There shall be no new recruitment of child labour. If child labour is found to exist, Factory X expects manufacturers to participate in and contribute to policies and programmes that provide for the transition of any child found to be performing child labour to enable her or him to attend and remain in quality education until no longer a child.

Fair wages

Terms and conditions of employment must be clearly communicated to all workers. written records of payments must be maintained for audit purposes. wages must be paid in line with national legal standards or industry benchmarks, whichever is greater.

Wages must be paid at regular intervals according to national or industry benchmarks. any deductions not provided for under national law are not permitted without the express written permission of the worker.

We are committed to working towards ensuring living wages are paid throughout our supply chain . Click here to read our Living Wage Statement.

Reasonable working hours

Factory X prohibits the use of excessive overtime. Suppliers must comply with applicable laws and regulations in regard to working hours and must operate in a manner that promotes humane and productive hours of work and working conditions. Working hours should not exceed 60 hours in any 7-day period. Regular working hours should be made clear in a contract, and not exceed 48 hours.

We also understand that our production process can have an impact on working conditions. Click here to find out more about our lead-time policy.

Non-discrimination

There is to be no discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination or retirement based on race, caste, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, union membership or political affiliation.

Fair and equitable treatment

Physical abuse, the threat of physical abuse, sexual and other forms of harassment, verbal abuse and other types of intimidation will never be used by a supplier or factory in relation to their workers.

The deduction of wages as a disciplinary measure will not be used.

Obligations to employees under labour and social security laws and regulations arising from the regular employment relationship shall not be avoided through the use of labour-only contracting, subcontracting, or home-based working schemes; nor through apprenticeship schemes where there is no real intent to impart skills or provide regular employment; nor shall any such obligations be avoided through the excessive use of fixed-term contracts of employment.

Responsible purchasing practices

We work towards a 6-month lead-time on our production orders. This model gives our manufacturer the opportunity to plan-ahead, stabilise their workforce and manage workflows.

We do not shop for the lowest price or tender out work. We only seek out new suppliers when our existing manufacturers are not able or willing to produce something in our range. We publish statistics on how long we have been working with our suppliers here.

Environmental policy and waste management

Suppliers must comply with applicable environmental laws, must maintain a written environmental policy, and must implement a system to minimize or eliminate negative impacts of its practices on the environment.

Uzbek cotton pledge

Factory X has signed the cotton pledge to commit to not using cotton from Uzbekistan due to allegations of the systemic use of child and forced labour in the cultivation and harvesting of cotton in the region.

Reporting Conditions

As part of Factory X's commitments outlined above, we are keen to be made aware of any situation where our social and ethical policy is not being upheld. We commit to investigating all complaints that we receive. If an issue is confirmed, we will work with the parties involved to develop a corrective action plan. Your complaint will remain strictly confidential, unless you advise otherwise.

Ready-to-buy products

All suppliers of ready-made products agree to meeting the terms of our social and ethical policy and commit to communicating the terms to manufacturers in their supply chain. If products are manufactured in Bangladesh suppliers are required to provide evidence that the manufacturer is a signatory to The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety or the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety? Country of Origin information is requested for all cotton products to meet the requirements of the Uzbek Cotton Pledge.